A. Field of the Invention
This relates to the testing of tracking medical aprons, specifically lead aprons. Lead aprons are commonly used in medical facilities when x-rays are performed. One of the difficulties is to be able to track the lead apron to insure that it has been tested and is satisfactory for use on humans. If the apron is defective and not adequately tested, it may lead to injury to the person from exposure to excessive radiation.
In large facilities such as hospitals or clinics, there may be several hundred aprons that need to be tracked. To date, there has been no process for checking the integrity of a medical lead apron and adequately documenting the condition of the apron.
B. Prior Art
In the prior art the tracking for the inspection of an apron occurred by attaching a radio frequency indicator on the apron or using a barcode. In order to determine whether or not an apron had been inspected, the user of the system would need either an RF reader or barcode reader to verify that the apron had been inspected in a proper fashion.
This system eliminates the need to use a barcode that can become soiled and ineffective and eliminates the use of an RF tag that can be expensive and deteriorate after extended exposure to radiation.
In the prior art other patents and applications teach tracking systems and a representative example of this type of device can be found at DeBusk, U.S. Pat. No. 6,581,204. This application tracks and monitors medical supply usage and does not teach the specific means to track medical aprons that are taught by this application.
Another example that can be found in the prior art is Williamson, U.S. Pat. No. 5,842,976 that teaches a method to track and store an inventory system for medication and treatment purposes. With the current process there is no need for inventory control because the apron is not a disposable item but is an item that can be used repeatedly.